Apparatus and process for electroplating metal and forming articles therefrom



April 14, 1925. 1,533,447

.- NEWMAN G. W. APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR ELECTROPLATING METAL AND FORMING ARTICLES THEREFROM Filed July 20. 1925 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N EDD N buy I M filly April 14, 1925;

, e. w." NEWMA N APPARATUS AND PROCESS Filed July 1925 F0 LECTROPLAT METAL AND- FORMING REF TIC THE R0 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 VE It: Gear 9671036101 242;

' April 14, 1925. 1,533,447

ss FOR ELECTROPLAI'ING METAL AND FORMING ARTICLES THEREFROM Filed July 20, 1923 .G. W. NEWMAN APPARATUS AND PROCE 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Ww MN April 14, 1925.

G. NEWMAN APPARATUS AND PROCESS ELECTROPLATING METAL AND FORMING ARTICLES THEREFROM Filed July 20,, 1923 A 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 fwmay VE eor'eil W 25525 I WW/ April 14,1925; A 1,533,447

a. w. MAN APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR ELECTROPLATING METAL AND FORMING ARTICLES THEREFROM Filed July 20, 1925 .7 Sheets-Sheet 5 l-ffl effig /27a HQ], H

NEWMAN April 14, 1925. 1,533,447

- G. W. APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR ELECTROPLATING METAL AND FORMING ARTICLES THEREFROM Filed July 0, 1923 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 w I I N R m April 14, 1925. 1,533,447

0,. w. N MAN APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR ELECTROPLATING METAL AND FORMING ARTICLES THEREFROM 7 Filed July 0, 1925 '7 Sheets-Sheet 7 45 shape Patented Apr-.14, 1925.

TED STATES 1,533,447 PATENT OFFICE.

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Application filed July 20, 1923. Serial No. 852,747.

To all whom it may comem:

Be it known that I, Gnonen W. NEWMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, in the county a of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in an Apparatus and Process for Eleetroplating Metal. and Forming Articles Therefrom; and 1 do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the'numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an ap aratus and process for electroplating meta more particularly endless strips of metal, and forming articles therefrom.

Many articles are made of ressed steel electroplated with nickel and eretofore it has been customary to press the steel into the desired shape and then plate each article separately by suspendin it in an electro- I lyzing amount of labor and trouble.

If a. strip of steel is plated with nickel by the usual apparatus and methods and then pressed into shape the nickel plating is apt to crack and peel off where the steel is bent. I Y

One of the principal objects of the invention' is to rovide a plating apparatus by which a nic el or other coating may be applied to a strip so firml and strongly that the strip may afterwar s be folded and bent into an desired shape without cracking oflithe p ating.

The main feature of provide an apparatus and process in which the steel strip is first thoroly cleansed and then kept wet until it enters the nickel platin tank. When these precautions are ta en the strip is lated so firmly that it may be bent and ormed into almost any without cracking off the adhering layer of nickel. f

It has been found that not only is it unnecessary to plate the steel with copper preparatory to plating with nickel but further in some cases it seems to he even disadvantageous as the copper layer yields and slips under die forming operations more readily than the nickel.

Other and further important objects of and specification.

tank. Th1s invo es a very large the invention is to:

this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the accompanying drawings The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawings- Figure 1 is a slde elevation of the plant as a whole.

Fi ure 2 is a plan view of the potash, pickling and hot water tanks.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

ELECTBOPLATING METAL AND FORMING. ARTICLES Figure 4 is a section on the line A-A of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 IS a view taken on the line 6--6 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a plan view of the nickel tank. 1 Figure'8 is a section on the line 88 of Fi re 7. igure 9 is a section on the line 99 of Figure 7.

Figure 10 is a side elevation of the bufiing and winding mechanism.

Figure 11 is a plan view of the same.

As shown on the drawings-- The' electroplating apparatus includes a caustic alkali or-potash tank 15 for cleaning the strip of metal, a hot water tank 16 for removing the potash, a pickling tank 17, a hot water tank 18 for removing the pickling solution and a nickel plating tank 19. The

strip of steel 27 to be plated is wound on a drum 20. It' is passed from. this drum through the tanks, past bufling wheels 21 ton winding drum 22.

The potash tank contains a solution of caustic potash, say 5 to 10% KOH, to remove anygrease which may be adhering to the surface of the strip.

The ickling tank contains a strong solution 0 Baum) or potassium or hydrochloric acid (50-50 acid and water).

The nickel plating tank contains a solution of about 7 or 8% nickel ammonium sulphate.- The cleansing of the steel strip by the causticalkali is aided b electrolysis; the steel strip being electrica ly connected to the positive terminal and an iron plate dipped into the solution being connected to the cyanide of sodium, (say 18 the negative terminal of a low potential, high amperage generator or battery.

- The nickel plating is carried out by another generator or battery having its negative terminal electrically connected to the steel strip while the positive terminal is connected to a series of nickel bars suspended in the tank.

It will be noted, therefore, that in one tank the steel strip acts as a positive electrode and in another tank as a negative electrode.

The drum 20 is mounted on a shaft 23 provided with a brake-drum 24 around which extends a strap 25 with a weight 26 attached thereto. This braking device aids in keeping the strip 27, taut in its passage through the apparatus. The strip as it leaves the drum 20, passes over a pulley 28 mounted in a bracket 29, secured to the upper edge of the potash tank 15. Within the vpot-ash tank are arranged a series of pulley wheels 30 around which the stri is wound as shown in Figure 3. Suspended in the tank 15 by a rod 75 is an iron late 76. This rod and plate are electrica 1y connected to the negative terminal of a suitable low voltage generator, battery or 4' other source of direct current while the bracket 29, which carries the pulley 28 over which the strip 27 passes, is electricall connected to the positive terminal of suc1 generator or the like. The alkali saponifies an .grease which may be on the strip and t e electrolysis results in the removal of a thin surface film of metal from the steel strip.

Leaving the alkali tank the strip passes through a tube 31 supplied with steam by a pipe 32. Thesteam partially condenses on the cold strip of steel and the water so pIfO';

duced runs down the strip carrying with it the greater part of the adhering alkali solution.

The strip then passes over ulley 33 into the water tank 16, around puley 34 and out again over pulley 35. As the strip passes downwardly from the ulley 33 it is further cleansed by a jet oi 41 and by passing it between a air of scru bing brushes or pads 42. his tank is provided with a water pipe 36 by which it may be filled. For heating the water, a-

steam connection 37 connected by a valve .39 and a T-connection 38 to the steam pipe pipe 40 32 above referred to and also to a whose lower end is below the level of the water in the tank.

Leaving the hot water tank 16, the strip enters the pickling tank 17, passes around pulley 43 and then moves upward to a second hot-water tank 18. The latter is constructed like tank 16 above described exce t that there is no provision for cleansing t e stri by steam asit leaves the pickling tank. T e pickling tank is adapted to remove water from a pi e '51 to t any trace of oxide formed by the electrolytic action in the alkali tank. Cyanides and acid, such as hydrochloric acid are adapted to perform this function.

The nickel plating tank. is shown in detail in Figures 7, 8 and 9. Adjacent the ends of the tank are shafts 44 and 45 on each of which are mounted two sets of five ulleys 46. The strip 27 is wound around t ese pulleys as shown in Figure 7. As the strip moves forward through the series of tanks with uniform s eed the variation in time required for eac operation must be accomplished by varying the length of strip immersed at any one time. As the nickel plating operation is the slowest,-the tank for c that plur lenlgt o strip than any of the others.

he pulleys 46 are arranged in two sets to leave a space down the center of the tank for a series of anodes 47 suspended by bars 48 and 49. These bars are 0 set where they overlap in the middle of the tank so as to give more clearance between the anodes and that portion of the strip extending obliquely across the tank at that point.

The necessary current for the plating operation is made by connections to either or preferably to both pulleys 35 and 50 at each end of the tank to the negative terminal of a suitable low potential, high amperage generator or battery. These pulleys are made of metal so that they conduct the current to the strip which passes over them. The pulleys "46 in the tank are made of insulating material such as glass and the brackets which support the pulleys 35 and 50 are insulated from the contents of the plating tank so that the whole current must flow through the solution from the anodes 47 to the steel strip 27. The bar 48 which supports the anodes is also insulated from the contents of the tank except through the anodes themselves.

The strip as it leaves the nickel plating tank 19 passes between a pair of pads 77 to remove the excess solution adhering to the strip then, over pulley 50, under pulley e polishing mechanism. This includes a pair of bufiin wheels 21 mounted on shafts 51. The strip is held in contact with these. wheels by means of curved blocks 52 adjustably supported by means of threaded rods 531 An idler pu ley 54 adjustably mounted on a threaded rod 55 is provided for drawing down the strip between the two blocks 52. A pad 56 of elt carpet or the like may, if desired, be inserted in a recess in the upper surface of each curved block.

As the stri leaves the bufling wheels it passes througi a box 58 containing felt or other fibrous material both above andbelow the strip pressed into contact with the latter by means of a weight 57. On the shafts 51 are arranged pulleys 59 and between them ose is made so as to hold a greater which also carries a pulley 64. The latter is in turn driven by an electric motor 65 by a belt- 66.

The winding drum 22 which receives the strip 27 as it comes from the bufling wheels 21 is mounted on a shaft 67. The latter carries a bevel gear 68 driven by a bevel pinion 69 which in turn is driven by worm reduction gear 70 from a shaft 71. A pulley 72 on this shaft is onnected by a'belt 73 to a pulley 7 4 on the shaft 63.

To facilitate removal of the strip from v the Winding drum 22 this is made expansible and collapsible. For this purpose the part which carries the strip is made in two segments 78 and -7 9, flexibly connected at 80 on one side of the drum. On the other side of the drum projections 81 are formed on or connected with the segments and apertured for the passage of a bolt 82. Springs 83 are arranged on this bolt on either side of the projections 81 tending to'draw the latter together and thereby collapse the drum. This action is prevented by an adjustable wedge member 84 which is connected to a plate 85 carrying a set-screw 86 by which it may be locked in any desired adjusted position. Before winding, the drum is expanded by drawing outwardly this wedge member and locking it in such position. After winding, the set-screw is loosened and the drum is collapsed.

At the'same time that one strip is being drawn through the apparatus, another strip is being polished and cleaned preparatory to being put through the plating machine.

For this purpose another winding drum 87 similar to the winding drum 22 is placed on the opposite end of the shaft 67 which carries 'the' latter. Secured to the frame which supports the polishing mechanism is a bracket 88 which carries a strip supporting drum 89. The rotation of this drum is checked by abrake drum 90, strap 91 and weight 92, in a similar manner to drum 20.

The strip of steel from this drum 89 is carried over a pair of supports similar to the supports 52 which hold it in contact with bufiing wheels 93 on the same shafts 51 as carry the bufiing wheels 21. A guide pulley 94 is preferably inter osed between the drum 89 and the bufiing w eels 93.

After the strips have. been plated and polished they are cut into lengths and pressed into the desired shape. As any form 'of press may be used for this purpose no description thereof is given.

I am aware that numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted, otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention- 1. The method of treating metal, which consists in first subjecting the same to an electrolytic bath to cleanse the same and to remove a portion of the surface thereof, and then plating said surface.

2. The method of treating metal, which consists in first subjecting the same to an electrolytic bath to cleanse the same and to remove a portion of the surface thereof, then plating said surface, and finally stamping said plated metal to a desired configuratlon.

3. The method of treating a strip of metal, which consists in subjecting said strip successively to an electrolytic bath to cleanse the same and to remove a portion of the surface thereof, and to a plating bath, the two operations occurring simultaneously upon different portions of said strip.

4.'The method of treating a strip of 'metal, which consists in subjecting said strip successively to an electrolytic bath to cleanse the same and to remove a portion of the surface thereof, and to a plating bath, the two operations occurring simultaneously upon different portions of said strip, then cutting the strip into lengths, and finally pressing said lengths into the form desired.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses. GEORGE V. NEWMAN.

Witnesses: I

A. W. Severance, ROBERT FOREMAN. 

